Film Review: ‘Peppermint’ Offers Nothing New in Revenge Genre

CHICAGO – When a revenge film gets a bit stale, as they tend to do, the best way to pass the time is to start counting how many people are indiscriminately killed. “Peppermint,” which has the former “Alias” star Jennifer Garner going back to an action mode, had 36 (give or take) quality kills, with the last one taking the longest between executions.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Garner is actually not that bad in the film, she is game, but the script lets her down and the scenario seemed easier to settle than what was on screen. The director of the film is Pierre Morel, who did the first “Taken” with Liam Neeson in 2008. He hasn’t learned anything new on this revenge spin, and the story also contains many stereotypes having to do with a vague drug cartel. In a sense, it’s a revenge fantasy in Trump’s world, as the white woman is saving the world by blowing up the Mexican cartel, with a leader that looked like Freddie Mercury. Only ardent Garner fans would be interested in this, and it’s surprising that the production thought that this may become a franchise. Only the box office will know for sure.

Riley North (Jennifer Garner) is a working class wife and mother – which the story established by having her and her daughter as rivals to a parallel snooty upper class mother/daughter combo. She is trying to keep her family together, even as her daughter is snubbed by the upper crust set, and her husband Chris (Jeff Hephner) is trying to uplift their fortunes by getting involved with a drug cartel (typical).

Chris foregoes his role in the cartel at the last minute, but this doesn’t satisfy the drug lord Diego “Freddie Mercury” Garcia (Juan Pablo Raba), and he summarily sends his gang to kill Chris and the daughter in front of Riley, injuring her. After a crooked judge lets the killers go, Riley goes underground to train for her revenge. When she emerges five years later to apply revenge to all who wronged her, LAPD’s Det. Carmichael (John Gallagher Jr.) and FBI agent Inman (Annie Ilonzeh) are perplexed.

“Peppermint” opened everywhere on September 7th. Featuring Jennifer Garner, Jeff Hephner, John Gallagher Jr., Juan Pablo Raba, Method Man and Cailey Fleming. Written by Chad St. John. Directed by Pierre Morel. Rated “R”